1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a forward-reverse switching device of a jet-propulsion watercraft, such as a personal watercraft.
2. Description of the Related Art
As described in Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 2003-237693, the stern of a jet-propulsion watercraft, such as a personal watercraft, comprises a nozzle for jetting water, bucket for forward-reverse switching, etc. The bucket can be moved between up- and down-positions by a control unit with a control lever which is located in a front portion of the watercraft. If the bucket ascends, a water jet emitted from the nozzle directly flows backward relative to the hull of the watercraft without hitting the bucket, so that the jet-propulsion watercraft moves forward. If the bucket descends, the water jet from the nozzle hits the bucket and flows forward relative to the hull, so that the watercraft moves backward.
If the bucket is stopped at a vertically intermediate position, the water jet emitted from the nozzle is guided downward by the bucket. When this is done, the jet-propulsion watercraft is stopped without substantially moving forward or backward. This is a so-called neutral state. According to an example of the control unit of the conventional jet-propulsion watercraft, the bucket is caused to ascend by a push-pull cable if a watercraft operator pushes forward the control lever located in a front portion of the watercraft. If the operator pulls the control lever, the bucket is caused to descend by the push-pull cable. Thus, the bucket can be held in a neutral position depending on the position of the control lever.
In the jet-propulsion watercraft capable of forward-reverse switching based on the bucket position, as described above, the control lever is moved between forward- and reverse-side positions. However, the structure of the bucket does not allow the neutral position of the control lever to be located just halfway between the forward- and reverse-side positions. Specifically, the neutral position is located much closer to the reverse-side position. Therefore, the range of motion of the control lever from the neutral position to the forward-side position is considerably longer than the range of motion from the neutral position to the reverse-side position.
Conventionally, therefore, skill is required to accurately stop the bucket at the neutral position. In some cases, moreover, the bucket may unexpectedly move from the neutral position to the forward- or reverse-side position, thereby causing the jet-propulsion watercraft to move against the operator's intention. Under these circumstances, there has been a demand for the development of jet-propulsion watercrafts in which the bucket can be easily held in the neutral position.